Dabeli

Ingredients for Dabeli:

For the filling:

• Potatoes, boiled and mashed – 4 to 5 medium sized (Approx, 2 medium potatoes can fill 3 dabeli pavs)

• Dabeli masala – 2 teaspoons or slightly more to your liking.

• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

• Oil – 2 tbsp

• Salt- to taste

For the Dabeli masala:

• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

• Chilli powder – 1 tsp

• Nutmeg – a pinch

• Cinnamon – 1/2 inch stick

• Cloves – 2 in number

• Sesame seeds – 1/3 tsp

• Black pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Dry roast all the above ingredients for 2-3 minutes. Grind to a fine powder and store in an air-tight container.

Chutneys:

Green coriander chutney

Take a handful of coriander leaves, 2-3 garlic pods, 1 inch ginger, 2-3 green chillies, 1 tsp peanuts (for consistency), a tsp of lemon juice and salt to taste. Grind it to a smooth paste using little water. Adjust the consistency and condiments to your liking.

Red garlic chilli chutney

8-10 peeled garlic pods and a big handful of red Kashmiri chillies. Soak the chillies in warm water for around 30 minutes and then grind the chillies with the garlic and some salt to a fine paste. Adjust water as per the consistency desired. Note: do not deseed the chillies.

Sweet and sour tamarind and date chutney

Take a cup of soaked and deseeded dates; to it add 2-3 tblsp of thick tamarind pulp, 1 tsp cumin powder, and rock salt to taste. Grind it to a smooth paste using water. Add more tamarind or dates/jaggery as per your liking.

Essential add ons:

• Onions, finely chopped

• Pomegranate pearls/Chopped grapes

• Sev, the fine or barik variety

• Masala peanuts (peanuts toasted with chilli powder and salt in some oil)

• Amul butter – to toast the pav

Dabeli Recipe:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. To it add the mashed potato, dabeli masala, 2 teaspoonful of tamarind-date chutney and salt as per taste. Mix well and the filling is ready! Do adjust the additions of masala, or chutney as per your liking.

Assemble the Dabeli:

Slit the pavs and keep them ready. Next, apply the date-tamarind chutney to one side of the pav and the green coriander chutney to the other side. Press a big spoonful of the potato mixture on one pav. On it, add some chilli-garlic chutney and spread. Add pomegranate pearls, chopped onions, masala peanuts on the potato mixture and press it a bit.

Add sev on it and cover it with the other side of the pav. Again, press it firmly and toast it on a griddle on both sides with oodles of butter!